Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 3: After Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Pathankot, Mamoon Canton-ment could have been another target of the militants with security agencies detecting that a Pakistani spy, hailing from Surankote tehsil of Poonch district, was clicking photographs of the strategic locations while working there as a labourer and forwarding them to two other spies in Surankote, who were in touch with their Pakistani handlers.
Security agencies have also detected financial transactions from abroad in the bank accounts of two relatives of Surankote, Poonch, who were forwarding vital photographs and other material of Army installations of Mamoon Cantonment, Pathankot to their handlers in Pakistan, who were believed to be the cadre of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
Official sources told the Excelsior that 30-years old Irshad Ahmad, a resident of Surankote, was the first to be arrested from Mamoon Cantonment, where he had been engaged as labourer for laying of optical fiber by a contractor of Poonch, Abdul Ghani for the past some time.
Irshad Ahmad had been given a smart phone by his associates in Surankote to click photographs of important assets of the Army within Mamoon Cantonment while working as labourer for laying optical fiber cable of a telecom company. Irshad was working as a Pakistani agent under the guise of labourer.
As Intelligence agencies, security forces and police were maintaining high alert after January 2 terror attack at Pathankot IAF base in which seven security personnel were killed, Irshad was captured yesterday after being kept under surveillance for more than couple of days during which it was detected that he had clicked important installations of Mamoon Cantonment.
Security agencies grilled Irshad during which he disclosed that he had been forwarding photographs to two persons in Surankote, who were identified as Shajjat Hussain son of Khadam Hussain, a resident of Hari, Surankote and Mohammad Akram son of Muneer Hussain of Morha Bachai, Surankote.
Both of them were arrested by police and sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) for sustained questioning to ascertain names of their handlers, whom they were furnishing photographs of strategic installations and the persons, who were depositing money in their bank accounts from abroad, most likely the Gulf nations.
“It has so far been clear that Irshad had taken photographs of Mamoon Cantonment, a very sensitive and strategic location of Army, and forwarded them to Shajjat and Akram, (the two relatives, who had, in turn, sent them to their handlers in Pakistan. However, security and Intelligence agencies were now grilling the trio, albeit separately, to ascertain whether they had clicked other strategic locations also or it was their first attempt.
Though the interrogation of the arrested persons was on, the possibility of their falling in trap with Pakistani handlers earlier also hasn’t been ruled out. Some more arrests on the disclosures of arrested persons haven’t been ruled out.
According to sources, Shajjat Hussain and Mohammad Akram had received some funds from abroad in their accounts and it was being ascertained whether the amount was given in lieu of spying.
They said the militants might have been plotting major terror attack on Mamoon Cantonment on the lines of Pathankot air base attack, carried out by six militants on January, for which they were managing photographs of the important areas. There had been reports of local help to the militants in Pathankot attack, which the National Investigating Agency (NIA) was trying to substantiate.
The IAF has put all its bases under the Western Command on high alert in the wake of the Pathankot terror attack with security forces given shoot-at-sight orders in case of any suspicious movement or trespassing attempt being detected.
Meanwhile, the IAF has taken a number of tough measures following a comprehensive security audit carried out at 54 flying bases, a top official in the Air Headquarters today said, confirming that a high alert have been sounded in more than 20 airbases, including all the air stations under the Western Command, where threat perception is higher.
Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts of Jammu region fall under the Western Command.
Sources said a Compre-hensive Security System is being devised, which is in its advanced stage.
A committee headed by an Air Vice Marshall rank has been constituted in the Air Headqu-arters to implement the comprehensive security system in all the airbases.
Under the plan, which might cost about Rs 100 crore for every base, a smart fencing will be done with most advanced surveillance gadgets to be deployed to ward off the repeat of the Pathankot like incident, sources said.
The security audit report has also recommended to increase the strength of the Garud Commando force by raising 10 additional squadrons.
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